September 2015 NewsFlash

Free Grief Workshops at Wayne Memorial Hospital

A free workshop designed to help people cope with the grieving process will be offered at Wayne Memorial Hospital this fall. The six-week session will provide education and support and focus on grief as a normal part of an individual’s transition through life. The fall sessions will be held Tuesday evenings from 5:30 until 6:30 from September 15th through October 20th in Conference Room #2 on the second floor of Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Grief can best be described as a distinctive cluster of common emotional, physical and spiritual reactions to loss, according to Licensed Clinical Social Worker Neil Petrosky from Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers Behavioral Health Center. Petrosky co-facilitated previous workshops at the hospital. “This description does not diminish how traumatic a loss can be for the griever,” says Petrosky. “Rather, it says that we can identify with each other as human beings who all struggle with the death of a loved one. We have the ability to join together and help one another through this struggle.”
Acknowledging that grief is a very individual process, the workshop will encourage participants to explore their own solutions to the challenges of living without their loved ones and dealing with the many changes that follow a loss. The workshop will be co-facilitated by Rev. Edward K. Erb, Wayne Memorial Hospice chaplain and Social Worker Anna Walsh, LMSW, CSW, with the hospital The sessions are designed to be non-sectarian and will provide a safe place for individuals to sort out activities and time tables that are right for them. A participant’s experience will be enhanced by attending all six sessions, but it is not mandatory.
For more information, email Father Erb at edwardkerb@aol.com or Ms. Walsh at walsha@wmh.org. Other sessions will also be offered during the winter and spring months. Participants are asked to complete a registration form, which can be found at www.wmh.org.